Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-07-16
YACHT CAPs1xn,

And Twenty-seven Women and Chlldreu
Drowned-Said to Have Been Caused by !
Bullheaded Captain.
New YORK, July 1.-THE sloop yacht
"Mystery" left Rufie Bar island in Canarsie
Bay at o'clock last evening, loaded almost
to the gunwales with women and children.
When of Barren Island, en- route for Canar-
sic, the yacht capsized and only thirteen Out
Of the forty souls comprising her passengers
and crew are known to have been rescued.
The party which was included in this terrible
disaster was made up chiefly of German fam
lies resident in Brooklyn and Long Island
City. The sun was just sinking when
the passengers of the "Mystery" and
"Christiana" gathered on the pier to en-
bark for Canarsie. So many of the men Of
the party showed the effects of the beer tt o.
had drank that the shippers thought it best
to put the women and children aboard of
the .sMystery," which is cabin yacht forty
feet long, and rates as much safer boat
than her consort. The woman protested,
terry" and its precious load swung of from
the Ruf1e Bar pier at o'clock. The
"Christiana' was about swinging out in the
"Mystery's" wake. Captain Henrickson, of
the "Mystery," said in the hearing of some
OF the women who were rescued, that he was
going to get into Canarsie first or blow a
stick out. Mrs. Smither, of Greenpoint,
made most earnest protest against more
sal, as the boat was behaving in q way that
frightened the women almost into hys-
terics. Captain Henderson declared
that he could sail the 'sMystery"
through gale and persisted in his order
for more sail. Reef knots were unfastened
and the boom dropped just as squall of con-
siderable violence struck the sail. In a second
she was on her beam ends and all the peo-
pie were struggling in a choppy sea. The
@. Dean" which was then over two miles
away. For five minutes the yacht remained
on her beam and the bulwarks afforded
some hold for the engulfed people. The
struggle for place to hold onto was awful.
Fully one-half of the drowning people were
children. The mothers made frantic efforts
to get their little ones to where they could
hold onto something. One after another
they were swept off in the tide way and
bouyed by their clothing, their hands waved
in frantic and unavaihng appeals for help.
Sometime before the "Dean" got near
enough to be of any use, negro put of
from Barren Island III row boat and was
the first to aid the drowning people. Altogeth-
or seven lives are to be credited to his efforts.
When the "Dean" arrived there were few
of the victims still above the surface. As
she neared, a woman was seen floating, try
ing to hold up her 4-year-old child. A man
on the guards exclaimed. "My God, that is
my wife," and dived to her aid. The woman
had already lost her grip on the child and
was about sinking when he reached her. He
had the choice of saving her or his child and
be chose the wife. He and she were soon
aboard the "Dean," but the child sank be-
fore their eyes. The rext grappled was
woman who had been kept on the surface by
her stoutness. She was so exhausted that
she died soon after she was brought aboard
he tug. A child and another woman also
lied after they were taken out, but the crew
'ucceeded in securing five alive. The best
advices estimate the whole load at thirty
seven and the number of those saved is only
en-. About l o'clock this afternoon the
Hoops "Homar" and "Veto" arrived at Cam
lrsie having in tow the unfortunate sloop
Mystery" After bailing the water out of
Ter eleven bodies were found in the cabin
md identified. Thirteen bodies have 50 far
)een recovered.